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Annual Drinking Water Quality Report

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

We're pleased to present to you this year's Annual Drinking Water Quality Report. This report is designed to inform you about the quality water and services we deliver to you every day. Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water. We want you to understand the efforts we make to continually improve the water treatment process and protect our water resources. We are committed to ensuring the quality of your water.

The source of our drinking water is three wells drilled into the Piney Point aquifer, the Academy Street well is 390 feet deep. The Hobbs street well is 350 feet deep and the Tower Road well is 370. An aquifer is an underground body of water, which is tapped by drilling wells and pumping the water to the surface for distribution. The 350 to 390 feet of earth between surface sources and this aquifer helps to purify the water before it actually reaches the aquifer, making it easier for us to treat before we pump it into your water distribution system.
We are pleased to report that our drinking water meets Federal and State requirements. The following report is provided in compliance with Federal regulations and will be provided annually. This report outlines the quality of our finished drinking water and what that quality means.

If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact the Town Manager, Ms. Delude at (410) 482-6222. We want our valued customers to be informed about their water utility. If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled meetings held on the first and third Thursday of each month at Town Hall at 7:00 PM.

The Greensboro water department routinely monitors for contaminants in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. The tables on the following pages show the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1st to December 31st, 2016. As water travels over the land or underground it can pick up substances or contaminants such as microbes, inorganic and organic chemicals, and radioactive substances.

“If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. [Greensboro] is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about lead in your drinking water, you may wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.”

Definitions
In this report, you will find many terms and abbreviations you might not be familiar with. To help you better understand these terms we've provided the following definitions:

Non-Detects (ND) - laboratory analysis indicates that the constituent is not present.

Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l) - one part per million corresponds to one minute in two years or a single penny in $10,000.

Parts per billion (ppb) or Micrograms per liter (u/l) - one part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000.

Action Level - the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.

Treatment Technique (TT) - A treatment technique is a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

Maximum Contaminant Level - The “Maximum Allowed” (MCL) is the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal - The “Goal” (MCLG) is the level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.

Non-Detected Contaminants

Greensboro is only required to provide information on those contaminants it has detected in the finished water supply.

We failed to test our drinking water for the contaminant and period indicated. Because of this failure, we cannot be sure of the quality of our drinking water during the period indicated.

All sources of drinking water are subject to potential contamination by substances that are naturally occurring or man made. These substances can be microbes, inorganic or organic chemicals and radioactive substances. All drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (1-800-426-4791).

MCL’s are set at very stringent levels. To understand the possible health effects described for many regulated constituents, a person would have to drink 2 liters of water every day at the MCL level for a lifetime to have a one-in-a-million chance of having the described health effect.

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by cryptosporidium and other microbiological contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791). Please call our office if you have questions.

The Town of Greensboro, Maryland provides top quality water to every tap. We ask that all our customers help us protect our water sources, which are the heart of our community, our way of life and our children’s future.
The Town of Greensboro, Maryland
104 E. Sunset Avenue
P.O. Box 340
Greensboro, Maryland 21639
Phone (410) 482-6222
Fax (410) 482-7429